Performax International Mid-Season Review
Seton Sets new benchmark in TA2 Muscle Car Series
Aaron Seton swept all before him this weekend at round four of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series at Queensland Raceway.
Pole position, four race wins and a new lap record proved the Ford Mustang driver is a talent that shouldn’t go unnoticed and his performance in the Castrol Harris Racing Mustang was a class act.
Performax Cup series leader Russell Wright was a strong second in all four races from Gold Coaster Ashley Jarvis. The Camaro driver dominated the last round at Sydney Motorsport Park but couldn’t match his performance from earlier in the season. However, on correct points he still remains a major championship contender with the series using a points system allowing drivers to drop their worst scoring round at the end of the season.
Hugh McAlister, Peter Robinson and Ian McAlister battled out the balance of the top five in the final two races. Ian McAlister made a drive under brakes into turn four during race four, tagging the rear of Robinson’s Dodge Challenger and turning him around.
Robinson was forced to sit out the remainder of the race, with McAlister receiving a 30 second post-race penalty for the incident.
Mustang driver Anthony Tenkate, coming through from the back of the pack after weighing in light at the end of race three, made a lunge at the turn six hairpin on Michael Kulig’s Camaro, however the two came together on the exit, resulting in a spin for Tenkate and a penalty for Kulig.
Seton controlled the pace for the remainder of the race, the only driver to lap in the 1:14 bracket, taking the round win from Wright and Jarvis.
Seton was pleased with his round win and endorsed the category as a valuable step in his development.
“I’d compare it as a mix between a NASCAR and a Supercar, they’re great fun to drive and I’d recommend anyone looking for a new category to race in to come and have a look at TA2.”
“It’s that sort of a car to drive and it’s cost-effective racing too, it would be great for other young racers to use it in their motorsport development.”
“Finally I’d like to thank Craig Harris for the opportunity to drive the Castrol Harris Racing TA2 Mustang, it’s been an awesome experience and a great way for me to continually develop as a driver.”
Wright stretched his series lead to 13 points from Hugh McAlister, with Jarvis only three points behind in third.
Round five of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series heads to Goulburn’s Wakefield Park Raceway on August 18-19 for the Australian Motor Racing Series event.
Seton delivers Muscle Car Magic on Day One at Queensland Raceway
TA2 Grid Builds at Queensland Raceway
Seton Commits to TA2 Muscle Cars
Aaron Seton will complete the remainder of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series, filling in for Craig Harris in the #88 Castrol Harris Racing Ford Mustang. The third generation racer subbed for Harris at the last round at the Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park, and has agreed to extend the arrangement to see out the 2018 season. The 19-year old has been identified as a rising star of the sport after picking up a Class B title in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in 2015, as well as victories in the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Bathurst 12 Hour, firstly aboard a Class I MARC Ford Focus, then with the Class C BMW M4 GT4 alongside Matthew Brabham and Tony Longhurst. He was also a regular front runner in the first two seasons of the Toyota 86 Racing Series, picking up numerous podium results along the way. Seton praised the TA2 series as a valuable step on his way to reaching the Supercars Championship. “The TA2 cars are fantastic cars to drive and are a great stepping stone towards my goal of the Supercars Championship.” “I really enjoyed the Muscle Car Masters event and I can’t thank Craig Harris from Castrol Harris Racing enough for the opportunity to drive his car for the rest of the season.” One of the main players in bringing the TA2 category to Australia, Harris is thrilled to provide this opportunity to Seton, but plans to return to the seat in 2019. “I am pleased to give this opportunity to Aaron [Seton] because he is a very capable driver whose goal is to get into the Supercars Championship,” said Harris. “The TA2 category is one of the most exciting series out there and I feel this is a great stepping stone for him.” The Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series returns to action this weekend at Queensland Raceway for round four of their championship, with a further three events at Wakefield Park, Queensland Raceway and Sydney Motorsport Park to complete the season. On 276 points, Russell Wright leads the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series by 5 points over Hugh McAlister on 271, with Ashley Jarvis third on 264. |